But despite the vast improvements in treatment, having a HIV diagnosis still means an increased likelihood of living in poverty, poor mental health and limits to opportunities preventing people living full, happy lives.

A lot of this is due to continued ignorance and discrimination against those with HIV infections and a lack of understanding.

That’s part of what World AIDS Day is all about – raising awareness to reverse that trend.

Here is everything you need to know about the date and the disease.

When is World AIDS Day 2017?

World AIDS Day is held on December 1 each year. This year, that is on a Friday.

What is World AIDS Day all about?

This year there are three main targets to the day – to end isolation, stigma and HIV transmission.

Work to significantly reduce the number of those contracting HIV is finally starting to see some results with the number of HIV diagnoses for gay men in London finally reducing in the UK. This is thought to be due to awareness for frequent testing, rapid treatment and PrEP.

Now the aim is to go even further to include a reduction in HIV in everyone and not just in the UK.

What is the difference between HIV and AIDs?

A man has his head painted with ‘AIDS Day’ (Picture: Shutterstock)

HIV is the name of the virus. A person could become HIV positive, but never develop symptoms.

If the virus isn’t treated and they do become ill, the condition is known as AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

If someone has AIDS, their immune system is weakened so they become more seriously affected by ordinary germs like coughs and colds, so badly that they can develop into things like pneumonia.

Someone with AIDS has to have the HIV virus, but someone with HIV doesn’t have to have AIDS. It can now be treated with anti-retroviral drugs, available on the NHS.

These can reduce the levels of the virus in the blood to such low levels that they are not detectable, and cannot be passed on to somebody else.

According to the NHS, this is the immune system putting up a fight against the virus and usually lasts between one and two weeks. After this HIV can infect someone for many years but show no symptoms – known as an asymptomatic HIV infection.

During this time, while you may appear well, this can still lead to damage to your immune system as the virus is still active.

There are three main stages of an HIV infection: 1) Asymptomatic HIV, 2) Symptomatic HIV, and 3) Late-stage HIV infection and Aids syndrome.

Once your immune system is damaged, you may have more symptoms including:

Emergency HIV and AIDs drugs

If you believe you have been exposed to an HIV infection within 72 hours, you can take anti-HIV medication to prevent the virus taking hold.

The medication, called PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis), has in the past been popularised as a ‘morning after pill for HIV’ but this is very much not the case.

PEP must be taken over the course of one month and is not guaranteed to work. The chance of the drug working also decreases the longer the wait until taking it.

PEP is available at sexual health clinics (GUM) and A&E in hospitals.

Diagnosing and treating HIV and AIDs

An activist holds a banner as others march through Pattaya resort town to raise awareness (picture: Reuters)

There isn’t a cure for HIV yet (that’s what today is all about) but there are treatments that can help people with HIV lead normal lives.

Diagnosis usually involves a viral blood test. If diagnosed as HIV+ people often receive subsequent tests to measure the level of CD4+ve lymphocyte cells (immune system cells) in their system.

If a person’s CD4+ve cell count is near 350 or below, this is when treatment will usually begin. This treatment is usually to reduce the level of HIV in the blood to give the immune system a chance to repair.

Those already being treated should have low amounts of the HIV virus in their system, making the chance of passing it on much lower.

The drugs used to treat HIV are called antiretrovirals (ARVs), which work by blocking the virus from replicating. A combination of ARVs is often used to prevent the HIV virus from becoming resistant.

Once started, most will take ARVs for the rest of their life.

Seven myths about AIDs that just aren't true

1. Only gay men get HIV

Gay and bisexual men are disproportionately affected by HIV, but HIV is not a ‘gay disease’.

There are thousands of heterosexual men and women living with HIV in the UK.

This means that you should be using protecting and regularly getting tested, whoever you want to get naked with.

Ignorance may feel like bliss, but HIV couldn’t give a s*** about your sexual preference.

2. You can get HIV through kissing

HIV is not transmitted via every day contact.

And you can’t get HIV through using the same cooking utensils as someone living with HIV.

In fact, there are only a few very specific ways through which HIV transmission can occur in the UK:

Having sex with someone without a condom

Sharing injecting equipment.

(Picture: Deirdre Spain for Metro.co.uk)

3. You can get HIV by standing on used, discarded needles

It’s quite a niche concept since you’re unlikely to be trotting around barefoot with used needles scattered on the floor.

But hey, this article is about myth-busting, not judging how you spend your weekend.

Just FYI, HIV does not live outside of the body for longer than a few minutes at most.

4. It is easy to contract HIV by having sex with someone who is HIV positive

When used properly, condoms work extremely well at preventing HIV.

Anti-retroviral treatment now means that most people in the UK who are living with HIV and are having treatment have an ‘undetectable viral load’.

Not only does this indicate that the person’s HIV is under control, it also means that it is almost impossible to transmit the virus to their partners during sex. Which is pretty amazing really.

You may have heard of ‘PrEP’.

It’s a major game changer for HIV prevention because those who are at risk of contracting HIV can take it and it is almost 100% effective at preventing HIV.

Unfortunately, PrEP is currently not available in the UK on the NHS.

Which feels very ‘being gay is a lifestyle choice’ if you ask me.

(Picture: METRO/MylesGoode)

5. If you have been exposed to HIV there is nothing you can do

Most people are unaware that if you think you might have recently been exposed to HIV, you can take something called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which can prevent you from contracting the virus.

You can access PEP at any sexual health clinic or A&E department.

6. HIV is a death sentence

HIV treatment is now extremely effective at keeping people healthy and well.

If you are diagnosed and start treatment within good time, you have the same life expectancy as someone who does not have HIV.

Having HIV is not the same as having AIDS.

Put simply, HIV is a virus. AIDS is a condition caused by HIV.

You can have HIV without developing AIDS, and many people live for years with HIV without ever developing AIDS.

7. If you have HIV, you cannot have children

HIV treatment can now be used to prevent HIV transmission from occurring between mother and child.

It means that a couple, where one or both are HIV positive, can now conceive and give birth to perfectly healthy HIV-negative children.